Black-Eyed Peas
Black-Eyed Peas in the Pot
This recipe is the traditional way of making black-eyed peas using a smoked ham hock. I have no doubt a bit of bacon cooked in the pot before adding the other ingredients would work just as well.
1 pound black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over for extraneous items
2 smoked ham hocks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, the jalapeno, and the bay leaves. Saute until the onions are just translucent about 5 minutes.
Add the black-eyed peas, the ham hocks, the thyme and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes to one hour. The black-eyed peas should be tender but still have a bit of crunch to them.
You can serve these as a side dish or as a whole meal with a little bread. The meat from the ham hocks can easily be stripped from the bone and added to the black-eyed peas.